Cost of microchipping

[BusterBoo]

I have been thinking of getting Buster microchipped and have phoned two Vets. His regular Vet said $70 and the Animal hospital is $160 (quite the difference huh!)

I never thought I would consider getting him microchipped but I have been wondering how to calm my nerves over him getting loose. Buster only has a collar on when he goes out for potty on his leash. Now with summer coming (eventually,.....there's frost again tonight), I am concerned because Buster has figured out how to open doors! He sticks his nose against the crack at the patio door and can wedge himself through. So.....if he ever did that, he would be on the run!

Do most of you keep a collar and tags on your dogs all the time? Buster is crated during the day, so no collar incase he gets caught in the crate. How reliable is the tracking on a microchip?

[happycats]

I just had Buddy microchipped and paid $50.00. with that I was able to get a life time dog license in my city for only $15.00 ! (It's $25.00 per year for unmicrochipped dogs).

I think it's worth it, gives me peace of mind.

[want4rain]

we had Mister microchipped when he got whacked... not that the price down here would be relevant to up there.

all of our vets, kennels, shelters have a scanner. they are only as reliable as the person keeping up with the information. the vet and shelter both say that there are quite a few dogs and cats who come in chipped but have outdated information in the database. i will say though that our area really pushes microchipping. all dogs and cats that go through the shelter/rescues are chipped. our vet had big signs up all over the place. maybe call the shelters/vets in your area to see if they check for it??

we dont keep a collar on Mister very often because of the chances of him getting caught. he has it on if we leave the confines of the house or the fence though. his collar has our cell phone numbers written on the inside with a sharpie.

we also have the cats done with the exception of Baby Girl. we had her for several months before we found out for sure that she wasnt fixed. one heat and she was at the vets office!! anyways, thats when we would ahve had it done if we choose to but decided against the cost because we hadjust bought a house and Miss Moofums absolutely refuses to leave the house. even now, years later... refuses to leave. she is *not* curious abotu the outside world. if she even made a motion to go out the door, we would have it done but it hasnt happened yet... then again, lots of 'never happening' lately!

i would highly suggest it!!

-ashley

[tatiana1]

It is definitely worth it in my humble opinion. I got my sister a dog from our local pound here in Florida while she was here on vacation a few years ago. She lives in Tennessee and took her (Ginger) back home with her. About a year later I get a phone call from a local vet saying that Ginger had been hit by a car and was in critical condition. :sad: At first I was trying to figure out how Ginger got all the way back to Florida when I realized the local vet was calling me because the vet in Tennessee had contacted them to notify me because of the microchip. I was listed as the owner. I was able to get my sister to the vet in Tennessee in time to sign the paperwork to do the life saving surgery. The vet in Tennessee said they were about 10 minutes from putting the dog down because they did not have an owner to agree to pay for the dogs care. (Which I think was awful, but anyway). The dog got out right after my sister left for work and got hit. I was able to call my sister at work at around 10 am instead of her having to wait until she got home from work to discover Ginger was missing and then try to find her. It would have been to late by then. So I am a big believer in the microchip. it saved Ginger's life.

[Stacer]

We just got Skylar microchipped last week and it cost us $65.00, not too bad I don't think. Our cats were microchipped at the pound when we adopted them and was covered in the adoption fee. Which reminds me that the next time I bring them to the vet I should get them to scan the cats to see if the chips are still in working order or if they've migrated.

[krdahmer]

My vet was doing it for free with yearly check ups... but normally charges about $45. There is no tracking per se with a microchip, it is simply a means of identifying your pet if they are found or injured, provided that where they are taken bothers to check for the chip, or has the equipment to read it. I have them on all six of my cats and would recommend it for all pets, although collars are still important as that is the first thing people see when approaching an unknown, injured or lost pet. The chip is great if the collar is lost.

I have had one bad experience where the chip was useless, a cat that I rescued was let out by his new owners and possibly run over on the highway... suspecting this we called the people who pick up the roadkill and were informed that they don't bother to check for chips, only collars. So we may never know for sure it was him, as we can only go by 'well he had these colours and lots of blood' (ya I was hysterical and that comment really didn't help at all). I do believe most HS and SPCA's have the equipment to read them as well as most vets.

They do have actual GPS collars for dogs and cats now... they look a bit bulky for a cat, but might be a good investment for dog owners.

[MIA]

Find a local rescue that is doing it as a fundraiser or something of the sorts, I can tell you it costs about $5.00 to per chips!!! If you were in BC I would do it for you!!!! I can't get over what vets charge, it's robbery!!!

[Chris21711]

Originally Posted by Stacer

Which reminds me that the next time I bring them to the vet I should get them to scan the cats to see if the chips are still in working order or if they've migrated.

They normally do migrate. About 1 1/2 years ago we came out in the morning and there was a Pittie tied-up in our front yard. Ethel took him to work with her and scanned him when she got in, went all over his body (keeping fingers crossed, because of our abhorrent BSL legislation) and in his last leg that she was scanning she found his chip. In his case it was a lifesaver.

[mafiaprincess]

50 in Ontario is average.. I've been quoted 50-150 around here though. It was 30 at a local rescue fundraiser last month.. Smudge's chip is american and the CKC won't recognize it, I can't be bothered to rechip him and chip Cider at 50 bucks a pop as I simply wanted it to play CKC performance events, plus double that in registration fees..

[happycats]

Originally Posted by mafiaprincess

50 in Ontario is average.. I've been quoted 50-150 around here though. It was 30 at a local rescue fundraiser last month.. Smudge's chip is american and the CKC won't recognize it, I can't be bothered to rechip him and chip Cider at 50 bucks a pop as I simply wanted it to play CKC performance events, plus double that in registration fees..

If I would have known that I would have had Buddy chipped at that local fundraiser for $30!

[Dingo]

I think the chips provided by the CKC are $50. Your vet may or may not charge to insert the chip.

[duttypaws]

I think i paid $65 for each cat...

[glasslass]

Den-Den and Corky are both micro-chipped. The vet did it when they were neutered. I believe it was just $25.00 extra. When we moved, we notified the micro-chip place and it was just $15 each to have the info updated in their records. When I updated their addresses for their licensing, I mentioned they were both micro-chipped and they made a note of it. They said they also keep a database of the micro-chip #s when given because sometimes they get a dog in late at night or on a holiday and have to wait to call it in. I thought it was a 24-hr, every day of the year, service. Anyhow, if it ever happened, it would speed up the happy reunion with the owner.

[t.pettet]

On Wed. June 4th between 4 and 8 p.m. the Lanark Shelter in Smiths Falls is offering a clinic for $25.00. They're also having a BBQ so looks like a fundraiser event.

[BusterBoo]

Wow! I will try and make it to Smiths Falls for that! (With the price of gas these days, it will probably cost just as much as having it done at my Vet)

[t.pettet]

I think you're right! unless of course the BBQ is free (doubtful) then you could stuff yourself and not have to eat the entire next day.